Because they were concerned for their master, the vampire maidens took turns standing outside his door, listening for signs that he may be hurting himself. It was Rainbow Dash's turn now, and she was getting so bored that she started counting the stone bricks in the walls. She was on six hundred and seventy-four when she heard a loud clang. She snapped around and threw the door open.
"Master, are you okay?!"
In the middle of the room stood a large bell and Discord was thumping his head against it, making it reverberate throughout the room.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he yelled with each ring.
Rainbow knew this action wouldn't physically hurt her master, but it was still painful to watch.
"Master!" she cried, flying to his side to try and pull him away. "Master, stop!"
But as he was larger and stronger than her, he wouldn't budge.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
"Master, knock it off! Seriously, this is just sad! You're embarrassing yourself!"
Discord straightened up and groaned as he slumped to the floor, the bell popping out of sight. Rainbow heaved a sigh and sat beside him.
"I know yesterday night was heartbreaking for you and all, but you've gotta get a grip on yourself! What happened to the fierce vampire who caught me ninety-five years ago? What happened to the Discord who wouldn't let anything get in his way, not even his own feelings, and would fight for what was his?"
"You don't understand," he whimpered, burying his face in his hands. "I can't just swoop in and take her! She is my mate, but she is not mine!"
"Still. If you want the girl so bad, you gotta stop this whining, go out there and win her! No mare wants a wimp for a husband!"
Discord said nothing as he curled into a ball on the floor. Rainbow sighed, seeing that she had to try a different tactic.
"Hey, I know what'll cheer you up," she said with a smile. "Let's go out prowling like we used to! You remember the old days, when it was just you, me and Rarity? The three of us would own the night, spook a few drunken stallions into wetting themselves!" She laughed. "And remember those pranks we used to pull on Rarity? Like when we drew on her face? Oh, that was priceless! The best part: she didn't even know it because she couldn't see herself in the mirror! Am I right, am I right?"
She nudged her master in the side, urging him to laugh along with her, but he didn't even flinch. Rainbow Dash frowned.
"Well, if you're not feeling it tonight…Pinkie and I could hunt for…"
Discord shook his head. "I told you I don't want any of you…"
"…killing anything. I know, I know. But we gotta eat, Master, and you don't look fit for…"
"I said no."
"Come on, we can do it! We've done it before!"
"And I'm still sore at you for that."
"We had no choice! You were acting all gaga over Flutter—"
She bit her lip, but the unfinished word had already made impact with Discord. He reached out his claw and used it to pull his limp body away from Rainbow. The mare sighed and stood up.
"We need to eat. And until you get your act together, we're getting our own food."
As she exited the room and shut the door, she muttered, "That darn mare better come around soon."
When Coco Pommel answered the door the next morning, she was met with a pink, smiling face.
"Hi!" the pink mare exclaimed, her face too close for comfort. "I'm Pinkie Pie! I work for Count Discord and he has a very heartfelt, emotional message for Lady Fluttershy, probably because he's crazy about her, but can you blame him? She's really pretty! And now we're all trying to get them together so they can get married and live happily ever after! Cupcake?"
Coco stared at the basket of cupcakes in her face, at a loss for words.
"Um, uh…"
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Pinkie asked, her smile not wavering an inch.
"Oh! Yes, yes, of course. Come in."
She opened the door wider for the pink mare to bounce inside.
"I'll, um, announce your presence. You can wait in the, uh, east drawing room."
"Aw man!" Pinkie whined, slapping herself in the forehead. "I forgot my sketchbook at home!"
Coco tilted her head at her in confusion. Pinkie then snorted with laughter.
"I'm just messing with you, Coco! I know what a drawing room is!"
"H-How…how did you know my name?"
Pinkie smirked at her, leaned forward and whispered, "I know everything!"
The maid blinked and backed away slowly. "Yes, um…just have a seat in there and I'll…get my mistress. Would you, um…like anything while you wait? Tea? Crumpets?"
"No, thanks! I only drink blood!"
Coco squeaked and raced out of the drawing room.
"What a nice mare!" Pinkie piped as she made herself comfortable in an armchair.
The maid found Starlight and Fluttershy in the library, one giving elocution lessons to the other.
"Again," Starlight ordered. "The rain…"
"The rain…" Fluttershy repeated.
They were interrupted when Coco burst open the doors, panting with fright.
"What is it, Coco?!" Starlight bellowed. "Can't you see we're busy?!"
"Sorry, doamnă," Coco heaved. "But…there's a mare downstairs who wishes to see Domnişoară Fluttershy, from…Count Discord."
Starlight's eyebrows shot up as she turned to Fluttershy, whose face was beat red. "Well! For some pony who isn't interested in you, he sure is persistent!"
"I'll, um," Fluttershy stammered, rising from her seat, "go see what it's about this time."
"I would recommend having some guard about you, domnişoară," Coco said, quivering. "The mare is quite…eccentric."
Fluttershy immediately guessed who the visitor was this time. "Yes, thank you, Coco, but I can manage on my own."
When she met Pinkie in the drawing room, she was hanging upside-down in her armchair with her skirts drooped over her chest in an unflattering manner and a basket balancing on her back hooves.
"Hi, Fluttershy!" Pinkie greeted, waving as if there was nothing unusual about her position.
"Hello," Fluttershy uttered, cautiously stepping towards her. "It's Pinkie Pie, isn't it?"
Pinkie gasped, gripped her chest with her hooves and looked up at her with puppy eyes, her smile growing wider. "You remembered! I'm so happy!"
"Right," Fluttershy said as she steadily lowered herself in the chair across from her. "Um…what's in that basket?"
"Oh!" Pinkie piped as she effortlessly spun into a right-side-up position, the basket falling onto her lap. "We had a lot of cake batter left over, so I made some cupcakes!" She held the basket out to her. "Here, try one!"
Fluttershy wasn't worried about being poisoned anymore. It was the pink mare's unusually ecstatic mood that made her hesitant. Nevertheless, she reached into the basket and chose a cupcake with yellow frosting.
"So," said Pinkie, "do you wanna hear my entire life story or what?"
Fluttershy didn't see any point in saying no, as she had a feeling Pinkie was going to tell her anyway, so she nodded in response. The earth pony took a deep breath before beginning:
"I was raised on a rock farm with my Ma, my Pa, and my three sisters. The oldest was Limestone, one tough cookie. She had a bit of a temper, but was actually really sweet! Then there was Maud. Even though I don't usually pick favorites, I'd have to say Maud was my favorite. We did a lot together, like make rock candy necklaces! Then there was Marble, my baby sister by a few minutes. She wasn't much of a talker, but so adorable!
"Life on the rock farm was okay, though a little dull. Ma and Pa didn't let us play much. There was no smiling, no laughing. Only rocks."
She sighed. "It got boring, moving rocks all over the place. My sisters and I would stay up some nights telling each other stories, but as they got older and started meeting stallions, we kinda grew apart. Soon it was time for me to consult the Choosing Stone."
"The what?" Fluttershy asked, scrunching her nose.
"The Choosing Stone! It's this rock that chooses your lifelong partner! Kind of like vampire mating laws, only instead of Fate, couples are decreed by a rock!" She rolled her eyes. "And it's much less romantic, if you ask me. Anyway, when it was my turn to consult the Choosing Stone, guess what it said?"
"What?"
"Nothing. Apparently, there's no pony out there for me. So that meant I was stuck on the rock farm for the rest of my life, and with my sisters getting married and my parents trying hard to find me a husband anyway—none of them ever stayed for long—I had no one to talk to. No sisters, no husband, no friends.
"So, I made my own friends! I made them out of whatever I could find! A sack of flour, a piece of lint, a bucket of turnips and, of course, rocks! We all had such wonderful times together and had the best tea parties and I would tell them everything!"
She paused. "But I guess Ma and Pa wanted me to have some real friends. One day, these stallions came and Ma and Pa told me to get into the wagon with them. They were really nice, and they took me to this awesome hotel called Asseeloom!"
"What?"
"Asseeloom! At least I think that's how you say it. That was the name on the building: A-S-Y-L-U-M!"
Fluttershy said nothing.
"It was a nice place. I had a soft, cushy room and a snuggly blanket I could put my forelegs through! It was hard to get out of though."
She wondered if she should tell Pinkie just what kind of place her parents had sent her to, but decided to keep her mouth shut for the moment. The blow might be too much for the pink pony to bear.
"The ponies there were really friendly!" Pinkie piped. "Though they talked kinda funny. I mean some of the other guests mumbled a lot, or didn't talk at all, and the staff talked really slowly and kept asking me weird questions like what did I dream last night or if I believed rocks could talk. Well, sure, if a unicorn cast a spell on them or something. Don't know why they kept asking questions I'd already answered. The food was also pretty good, though I don't know why they didn't have cupcakes.
"Anyway, I was there for a while, and it eventually became really, really boring! I was getting tired of all the questions they were asking me and it came to a point where I was living the same day over and over again! Not literally, but you know what I mean. Besides, I missed my family, so I asked if I could visit. They said no, but I really wanted a change of scenery. So I wriggled my way out of my blanket and walked out the door. Then they chose that time to start a game of chase! I must've won, because they never managed to catch me!
"I found my way back to the rock farm, but when my parents saw me, they got really scared for some reason! I tried cheering them up with cupcakes, but they kept staring at me like I was Frankenpony! Anyway, I decided I wasn't needed there and went on the road with a Romane caravan! Have you noticed there seem to be a lot of those in this country?
"The Romanes were nice ponies. They let me tag along if I helped bring money in. That's where I learned to play all those instruments. But then it got tedious again and we parted ways in Zebiu. There were rumors going around about vampires in the forest! I'd always loved vampire stories and thought it would be fun to be a vampire! After all, I had nothing else to do.
"So I went into the forest and found this dark, creepy castle! I knew that's where the vampires lived because come on! It's a dark, creepy castle! Rarity was the one who answered the door and I asked if she was a vampire, and if she was, could she make me a vampire?
"She tried closing the door on me, but I broke it down and begged her to change me. Everyone else came down, including Discord, to see what the racket was. I just kept begging and begging and begging until they gave in. Then they started blathering on about all these warnings I didn't pay attention to and then Discord bit me."
To Fluttershy's shock, the corners of Pinkie's mouth were slowly falling. "Next thing I knew, I was chained to a bed, covered in blood. They started telling me what had happened. Apparently, I went on some sort of rampage. I wish I could've seen myself. It would've been interesting seeing myself on a rampage. Then again, I kind of like not remembering killing ponies. The transformation had made me so strong and fast, it took forever for the girls to catch me. They had to chain me up and get this charm from a witch to restrain me."
She paused, and her eyes suddenly became interested in the carpet pattern. "It's funny. I thought it'd be cool to have vampire powers and all, but all the blood drinking somehow hadn't come to mind."
Her lip quivered. "I never wanted to hurt any pony. I just wanted to be…happy."
There was a long silence. Fluttershy was not sure what to think of this mare. She had, shamefully, taken her to be not very bright, but then wondered if this perky, nonchalant way Pinkie had of telling her disturbing history was to cover up the misery she truly felt inside. Did she really know what her parents had done to her? Had this playfulness all been an act? From what she could understand, Fluttershy didn't think this mare had deserved to be locked up. As quirky as her personality was, she seemed virtually harmless. When she was in control of herself, that is.
"You think I'm crazy, don't you?" Pinkie asked in a cracked voice.
"No!" Fluttershy exclaimed, a little too loudly. "No. I think you're very…optimistic."
The earth mare looked up at her and smiled again. "I can see why the Master's crazy about you."
Fluttershy closed her eyes and sighed. "I knew you were going to bring him up eventually."
"Can you blame me? I hate it when my friends are unhappy! Discord's unhappy, and so are you."
The pegasus blinked in surprise. "What makes you think I'm unhappy?"
"For one thing, you haven't smiled once since I've been here! But you were smiling the other night when you were with the Master!"
Fluttershy turned away to hide the redness in her cheeks. "I was just…laughing at his jokes. And the reason I'm not smiling now is because…well, that wasn't a pleasant story."
"Trust me. I know unhappy when I see it, smile or no smile. I also know you hate living here in this house."
"W-What? How do you…? I mean why do you…?"
"Don't get me wrong. This place is nice, but dead! And this is coming from an undead vampire! When's the last time you've had excitement in here?"
Fluttershy stood up, trying to keep her temper. "Look, Pinkie Pie, if this is your way of trying to get me with your Master…"
"Who's talking about the Master? You're legitimately miserable!"
"Please!" Fluttershy shouted, raising her hoof. "I've heard enough! Now please, get out of my house!"
Pinkie sighed. "If that's what you want, I'll go. Keep the cupcakes though. At least one of us can eat them." She gave Fluttershy a long, sorrowful look before leaving. "To be honest, that's the only thing I miss."
you'd think pinkie by now would've figured out blood based pastries? though lack of supply would probably be a factor
Edit* side note, this story was featured on the front page
Love the backstory for pinkie.
gg
Is every chapter going to be the mane 5 of torments backstory? Are you gong to write Applejack next?
Holy shit that was amazingly dark you broke past the light barrier now entering dark territory thank god I love Dark fanfics keep it up!!
Oh, okay.
Phew, dark-a-lark. So Rarity's next? I'm guessing she's gonna be the one who does it, who finally drives her back, because I highly doubt that AJ's gonna help out.
I feel bad for Pinkie. I woukd cry if my family sent me to an asylum! (my old roommate, who was a nurse, said that asylums are fine now, though).
Honestly I saw the chapter title and instantly thought Pinkie. I assume Applejack will be last and it will be to do with Trenderhoof. Actually if it is to do with him, the only way I can imagine her telling Fluttershy her story is if Starlight encourages a relationship between Fluttershy and Trenderhoof, and AJ sees then together and tells her story to warn Fluttershy, if of course he has anything to do with her transformation.
But yeah Rarity next then I'm assuming? Can't wait this was a sad chapter and when Rarity shows up, I wonder how Starlight will react, to recognising Rarity from the shop, and all these servants coming to the house.
Pinkie being thrown in an asylum?? not much of a strech to figure that out. not that I like the idea, mind you
YEs! I love this, adds to my love of why i think Pinkie is one of the best fictional charterers out there, i could totally see this backstory and side of her in the show as well.
It's a good back story but it's a kind of misinterpretation of what an asylum was like in past. They were horrible back in past, because nobody knew what to do with mental disorders.
Oh, Pinkie Pie, I don't think you're crazy! *huggles*
What about Cheese Sandwich?
I'm surprised Pinkie was able to do "well" in an asylum. Back in those days, the Nut House was a place you did not want to be in. Though I can't help but wonder if Pinkie's mind is like Alice's mind in the game "American McGee's Alice."
Oh my goodness...
I think so far, Pinkie's hurts the most and that she's a very brave and not insane pony. Sheesh, even the Choosing Stone gave her nothing. Then again, she's not a rock kind of pony at heart.
And woah, Fluttershy. Talk about denial! Hopefully she'll apologize to Pinkie later. Because ohhhh my heart.
6613732
I'm thinking either good ol' Cheese doesn't exist in this world, or the Choosing Stone only pairs up ponies of similar backgrounds or communities. And Pinkie nor Cheese are ponies that want the rock farming life, so the Stone didn't make that connection.
But hey, Pinkie's good, ya know? She don't need no stallion. She really just wanted friends. She made herself imaginary friends, not an imaginary boyfriend. Though I'm sure if Pinkie really wanted a special somepony, she wouldn't let some rock stop her.
Wow. I didn't think Pinkie's parents would throw her into an asylum. She may be crazy but not that crazy.
6613175 Yeah, that wasn't always the case in the late 19th century.
6613563 I'm sure you'll recall: Pinkie wasn't really telling her everything.
Sad, but still hilarious! I love how Pinkie just blurted out that she drinks blood.
amazing again! DF When Pinkie was in the asylum how did she get out because i thought that doors don't open automatically and someone had to press a button to stop the people from escaping??
6614600 It's Pinkie.
Poor Pinkie. Asylums aren't the most fun places. I like what you're doing here DF. It's a nice change from the norm.
6614629 yea i should have guest that because pinkie pie always has a way to do everything
OMG, I wanna cry oh Pinkie Pie, poor poor Pinkie Pie
6613732 My theory is that the choosing stone doesn't know him. Either that or Cheese doesn't exist.
As-asylum?! Pi-pinkie?! Gosh, that's dark. Let's go read CMC Next Gen to get some happiness back.
I love your story
Asylum? Why does that sound familiar?
Great job capturing views on individuals who were viewed as "Different." For something set in this periodic time frame it would make sense that her parents would have Pinkie institutionalized because there would not have been any real comprehension for knowledge about ADHD and different thinking.
I think I love Pinkie's story the most so far. It's so dark, and so sad. And you can't tell if she's really happy or putting up a front. And the way she says, "I just wanted to be... happy," was heartbreaking, and so appropriate for her element of happiness.
Though you know, maybe the Choosing Stone found no one for her because Cheese Sandwich hasn't been born yet? And now she's a vampire and one day she'll meet him, eh? eh? ;)
6620938 You mean like the fanfic?
That was...heartbreaking! *sniffles*
I...I...I like it. Can you write more like this?
6620938
Well, there's a horror book series titled Asylum.
"So, I made my own friends! I made them out of whatever I could find! A sack of flour, a piece of lint, a bucket of turnips and, of course, rocks! We all had such wonderful times together and had the best tea parties and I would tell them everything!"
She paused. "But I guess Ma and Pa wanted me to have some real friends. One day, these stallions came and Ma and Pa told me to get into the wagon with them. They were really nice, and they took me to this awesome hotel called Asseeloom!"
"What?"
"Asseeloom! At least I think that's how you say it. That was the name on the building: A-S-Y-L-U-M!"
Oh my God! Everypony for themselves! Ahhhhhhh! Please don't turn me into cupcakes! (blood curdling scream)
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c2/42/9a/c2429a64fa7a4dca238d5f8765b479a1.jpg
(Pinkie) You can't spell LAUGHTER with out SLAUGHTER Maddie!
Her lip quivered. "I never wanted to hurt any pony. I just wanted to be…happy."
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c2/42/9a/c2429a64fa7a4dca238d5f8765b479a1.jpg
"And remember those pranks we used to pull on Rarity? Like when we drew on her face? Oh, that was priceless! The best part: she didn't even know it because she couldn't see herself in the mirror! "
ME:
Genius, now I wish Vampires really DID exist
pfffft, there, there Discord
Poor Coco is going to get alot of stress opening these doors
Ohh dark. SHOWW ME MOREEE. especially blood